


Children of the Bull

by hawkfurze



Category: Fallout: New Vegas
Genre: Alcohol, Blood and Gore, Death, Found Family, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Other, Please Don't Ship Oizys and Ferus, Suggestive Themes, This is my first time actually going through and wrtting anything please bear with me, i may add more tags to this if needed
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-10
Updated: 2019-03-24
Packaged: 2019-10-08 00:49:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 19,226
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17376362
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hawkfurze/pseuds/hawkfurze
Summary: Sometimes those we grow close to are not who we expect.Born into the Legion and wanted for murder, Oizys only has one goal in mind: Go to the Mojave Wasteland, find her Brother, and keep him safe. When she is offered a place in the NCR, Oizys thinks that maybe things will start to look up, but then everything changes when a Legion scout begins to follow her every move. Oizys thinks she may have found a new rival, but instead, she may have found a new friend?





	1. Chapter 1

_Some place in Arizona, only miles away from the Nevada border, September, 2281._

A farmer sat in his rocking chair reading an old pre-war magazine as the radio played music on the table next to him. His son sat quietly nearby, for the boy always was quiet when the radio was on. He loved to listen to the old songs from before the Great War. The farmer figured he may try to teach him how to play the old guitar he kept in the rooms corner when he’s older, but at 4 years old, the boy was content to sit and listen.

The song ended, replaced by the show hosts voice, who thanked the listeners for tuning in. As the next song began to play, a knock came from the door. Annoyed, the farmer dropped his magazine on the ground next to him with a sigh and looked up to his wife in their makeshift kitchen, who had stopped preparing that nights dinner when the knock first came through.

The man stood up slowly as the knocking continued.

“I’m coming,” he yelled, annoyed. His family and farm was a bit away from the nearest town, and everyone knew the farmer hated unexpected visitors, especially when these days there was a high possibility of a visit from-

The man made his way to the door in no rush to reach it as the knocking continued, grumbling and complaining about the noise. Who could possibly be at his door this late in the day? The farmer pulled the door open quickly, intending to give this stranger a piece of his mind. 

A lone Legion recruit stood at his door. The man was much shorter than the farmer, standing just barely at chest height, wearing the usual face coverings most recruits wore, a helmet, scarf, and goggles, shielding the man’s facial features from the farmer. The farmer froze as the ice cold chill of fear began to creep up his spine. He had yelled at a recruit, in the lighter of circumstances the farmer may have gotten off with a warning, maybe pushed and beaten a little, but the farmer has had know people from the town, has had friends, who had been killed for less.

The Legionary jumped when the door opened abruptly in front of him, but before he could say anything, the farmer started speaking, his voice full of fear, as he began gesturing for the soldier to come inside.

“So terribly sorry to have yelled at you, sir. Forgive me, the towns folk have been coming to my door more than usual- didn’t know you were at the door- so terribly sorry.”

The soldier tried to say a few words but whatever he wanted to say was being drowned out by the farmers messy apologies. Inside the house, the farmer’s wife and son were standing near the now silent radio, the wife’s hands placed on both of the boys shoulders, keeping him protectively close at her side.

“We can give you our room, sir, for the night if you needed. Jaclynn was just making dinner-“

“N- NO,” the soldier stuttered loudly, finally getting a word in. The farmer flinched and opened his mouth, about to speak, again, but the soldier quickly cut him off.

“It’s not- I don’t want your room,” the soldier seemed to have trouble deciding exactly what he wanted to say. The farmer waited fearfully, certain for the worse. 

“I don’t want to hurt you. I just…. really need your help.”

The farmer and his family watched as the soldier reached up and grabbed the helmet from his head. As he lifted, a wave of rust colored hair fell, reaching just past the soldiers shoulders. The farmer watched as the soldier pulled away the rest of the gear covering his face to reveal, not a man, but a tired young woman with bright green eyes.

She looked at each member of the family, pleadingly, as she finally said “My name is Oizys, and, I need help.”

\---

Oizys kept still as strands of hair fell around her. The farmer stood behind her, clipping away. It was the morning after Oizys had showed up at their door, disguised as a Legion recruit. The family had gladly let Oizys stay the night, sharing their food and water with her and letting her get some rest. That morning, Oizys had asked the farmer, a man who introduced himself as Avery, for scissors to cut her hair. The man insisted on giving her the haircut himself, and the two chatted away as he went to work.

“The Legions been marching past our doorstep almost every day since that bloody war out west started, fools the lot of them,” he said, “we’ve made sure to stay quiet, hoping they’ll go by and ignore this little farm. Only had a couple times where they came a-knocking, luckily all they do is demand some share of the crops then they leave us alone.”

“That’s just for us,” Avery continued, “I’ve heard it’s been worse for whatever poor bastards had decided it was best place to set up by the river. They settled there years ago to take advantage of the river water, but none of them ever thought of the Legion taking everything they own. The lucky ones get taken as slaves and the others…”

Oizys felt the scissors pull away from her head. She reached up to run her hands through her now short hair. Avery chuckled.

“Nothing like the feel of freshly cut short hair. Have you ever had it this short?” He asked.

“No,” Oizys said, “I was never really allowed to.”

“Hmph, well, now no one can say a damn thing about it, unless they make you grow it back.” Avery stopped talking, thinking of what he wanted to say next.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” He asked, his voice taking a more serious tone, “I mean, don’t get me wrong, family is important, but why not go home and wait for your brother to get back from war?”

“I’m not welcomed back to Flagstaff.”

“Are you going to tell me why?”

“No,” Oizys said, “I don’t want to go back anyway.”

“You got spirit, kid” Avery replied, “but you’re also dumb. To reach the Mojave you’re going to have to cross the Colorado River, and the only way that is not by boat is through Hoover Dam, if you can get past both the Legion and NCR. How could you be sure you’re not going to get caught?”

“I won’t,” Oizys stood up from her chair, looking around for the discarded helmet, “If I run into the Legion, I could always just say I got separated from my group, a bunch of profligates attacked us and I was the only survivor, or something like that. They’ll believe anything if you make it convincing enough.”

“I’m sure they will,” Avery said, but Oizys knew he didn’t believe her. Oizys didn’t really believe it either, but she had no intention at being seen anyway. Oizys figured if she can make it past that stupid Dam she could make some plan to find her brother.

In truth, Oizys just didn’t want to admit she doesn’t really know what she’s doing. Her flight from Flagstaff was only a couple weeks ago and she had spent days alone wandering the Arizona desert, dodging patrols she was almost certain were after her, before she managed to find her bearings. A few night trips into towns where she stole a map, some food, and, in a daring moment, a recruits uniform, she began to make her way towards the Mojave wasteland, every once in awhile mingling with groups that also had plans out west. 

 

There was nothing Oizys had left in Flagstaff that made her want to go home anyway. In her eyes, Flagstaff and it’s people have caused nothing but suffering to her and her twin since the two of them were born. Their father, Potitus, was an angry, horrid man, who wanted nothing to do with another of them. He spent often enough time away from his family that Oizys never could miss him, but when around, treated her and her sibling like dirt. Potitus has seemed to have a personal thing against Momus whenever home, sending most of his abuse towards her brother. Oizys hates Potitus for it and when he was first ordered to go fight the NCR 4 years ago, Oizys celebrated his departure.

Their mother, Cara, on the other hand, was a small, timid woman, who kept her mouth shut and turned her eye away from her husbands abuse of their children. Oizys hates her almost as much as she does with Potitus. She was the only person who Oizys may have cared about at some point that was still left in Flagstaff, all for the best she was left there, Oizys thought, for Cara is such a coward, she probably would have turned her own daughter in if she found out she had killed a recruit.

Oizys felt a pang in her gut when her mind drifted over to the dead Legionary. Oizys wanted to tell Avery what happened in Flagstaff, they would not care, but Oizys didn’t want to talk about it. Not yet.

“Well,” Avery said, interrupting her thoughts, “you seem to know what you’re doing. If I had a better brain, I would of packed up the family and left when the Legion first came to our door, but Jaclynn was pregnant with our Jerry at the time, I didn’t want to make her travel.”

As if she heard her name being called, Jaclynn came around the corner of the house, a rucksack in hand and her son tailing closely behind her, hiding behind his mother's legs and peering up at Oizys with wide eyes. Oizys gave a small smile and waved at the boy, who quickly hid his face behind his mother's skirt.

“He’s a little shy,” Jaclynn said, giving a glance down at her son, “He’d warm up to you after a few days, but it looks like you’re getting ready to go,” Jaclynn studied Oizys new, short, haircut.

“You look good,” she said, nodding her head in approval at her husband, “much better than last night.

“I have you three to thank for it,” Oizys said.

“It’s no trouble, honey, we have to all help each other during this time,” Jaclynn held the bag out to Oizys, who grabbed it and flung the strap over her shoulder, “I put some water and some of what we have in the pantry here for you. When you get to the Mojave, I suggest you make your way towards New Vegas, you won’t need to ask directions to find it, you’ll see it from miles away.”

“Have you been there before?” Oizys asked.

“Once or twice,” Jaclynn said, “Never seen a place like it. It’s nothing like Flagstaff or any of the other, smaller, towns and cities you may have crossed.”

“But it’s just as mean. I wouldn’t trust anyone there, especially if you are fortunate enough to get inside the Strip,” Avery shook his head, “Well, Freeside has some good places to visit.”

“I appreciate the tips but I don’t plan on staying in the Mojave long enough to sight see. Once I find Momus, we’re leaving.”

“Where exactly to? The NCR? Arroyo up north?” Avery inquired.

“As long as there’s no Legion, I really don’t care,” Oizys shrugged.

Jaclynn walked up to Oizys and gave her a hug.The shorter woman tensed then relaxed. Jaclynn let go of Oizys and backed up, giving her a warm smile.

“Your brother has a good sister, I hope he knows that,” Jaclynn said. Oizys didn’t really know how to reply to her, so she simply nodded, returning the woman’s grin.

“Thank you,” Oizys said, “both of you, really.”

“It’s been no trouble,” Avery said as he walked up next to his wife and wrapped an arm around her. 

“Is there any way for me to pay you back?”

“Just stay safe out there. Good people are hard to find out here, it’s best we don’t lose those of them that are left.”

Oizys nodded. She looked at the spot where she had dropped her things earlier and, with another shove of the rucksack on her shoulder, turned and began to walk, making her way towards the road to continue her journey westward. When she reached the road, she turned back one last time and saw both Jaclynn and Avery raising their arms in farewell. Oizys waved back, then turned back onto her path to the Mojave and, hopefully, to Momus.


	2. Chapter 2

It was late at night, days after Oizys left Avery’s farm, when she finally made it to the Colorado River. She found herself on a cliff near the rivers edge, from there, Oizys was able to see much of the other side, towards the Mojave wasteland.

Large hills and distant mountains obscured most of the desert from Oizys current position, but behind them, the faint traces of light from what Oizys could only assume was New Vegas, glowed softly. How large was this city for her to be able to see its lights all the way from here?

Oizys looked up both ends of the river, trying to see the Hoover Dam or any Legion camps, but she couldn’t make out anything. She figured it was too dark to see them or they were too far away, Oizys really didn’t care anyway, she didn’t want to see the NCR as much as she didn’t want to see the Legion. That left her only options for crossing the Colorado are by boat or by swimming, but the distance between both edges of the river were so far, Oizys didn’t want to try to swim across, so instead she decided to try walking along the river to find any of these farms Avery had mentioned. Surely one could have a boat.

She headed off to the left of the river, and began to walk, looking up and down the shoreline as she walked, weary for any Legion recruits who may be on patrols at this time. Oizys wasn’t exactly sure how much of the Legions side of the river was being occupied and although Oizys took care and stayed in her disguise, she didn’t want to run into any soldiers. She ma look like them, but even a lone soldier wandering the desert by himself could be suspicious, especially if the soldier didn’t even know where he was.

Oizys walked for a few hours. The farther she went, more downhill her walk was, and soon Ozys was walking along next to the river, occasionally stumbling into the river water. Just as she was beginning to become tempted to try to swim across again, she saw a small structure in the distance. Oizys cautiously approached and was soon able to make out a small shack sitting near the rivers edge.

Just from the outside, the shack looked like there hasn’t been anyone inside for a long time, the door was partially open and no lights were on inside. Oizys wasn’t sure she wanted to go in just yet, so she decided to walk around the house to find a boat. She made her way around, looking for anything that could resemble a boat, but only saw a couple of bags of concrete and some large old wooden panels leaning on the wall. 

Frustrated, Oizys made her way back to the entrance of the shack and slowly pushed open the front door, drawing her machete out of its belt. The inside was incredibly dark. A table was overturned in a corner along with other furniture and the shacks only window was shattered, showing that whoever was living here didn’t leave without a fight.

A fight with no deaths, apparently, for Oizys surprisingly couldn’t find much blood or a body. Oizys figures an animal could of gotten in, but she wasn’t sure. She found a partially burned candle near the fallen table and, after placing the table back on its feet, lit the candle, bathing the room in a warm glow. Moldy food sat, rotting on the counter, Oizys wrinkled her nose as she tossed the disgusting scraps out the window. A few cans of something were laying near them as well as an old rusted kitchen knife. 

After making sure the door was locked, Oizys sat down on the shacks one bed and began to take her boots off. There was no use for looking for a boat in the dark and plenty of opportunities for Oizys to accidentally walk off one of the cliffs into the river. She’ll have to wait until morning before she could begin her search again, with hope that maybe a boat will appear tomorrow.

Oizys blew out the candle and laid down, but it took a long time for her to sleep. What little dreams she did have were full of the sounds of crying children, whips, and the taste of blood. 

Oizys woke to the sun shining in her face and sat up with a groan, realizing she had forgotten to take the helmet off before going to sleep. The mattress creaked as she got up to put on her boots, fixing her helmet and scarf before pulling on her shoes. After checking to see that she had everything, as well as adding those cans and the candle she found into her bag, Oizys left the shack, closing the door behind her. 

She decided to take one last look around before looking for another spot along the river to cross, to see if she had miss something, but today’s search wielded the same results as yesterdays. Oizys walked over to the wood panels leaning on the shack wall. They were connected by a board in between two layers of wood with a space between each board. It looked nothing like any useful object Oizys had seen, but she dragged the heavy wooden panel to the river's edge and pushed it into the river.

The panel floated slightly above the waters edge, the water barely lapping over the second panel. Oizys knew the panel wouldn’t be able to support her full weight, but maybe…

Oizys started pushing the panel out more into the water and when it reached her waist, Oizys began to swim, half of her body hanging onto the wooden panel, and her other half hanging off, kicking herself towards the other side of the river. Oizys thought she must of looked ridiculous to anyone who so happened to be around while she was doing this, using some old wood as a cheap float like a child who doesn’t know how to swim, but it was working and she was nearing the distant shore. The current gently pushed her farther down the river and when Oizys looked back, she noticed the old shack wasn’t behind her anymore but rather farther away to her right.

Eventually, Oizys began to feel sand beneath her feet, and she stood up, stumbling with tired legs to shore. The wood panel slowly drifted back out to the middle of the river and continued on its journey, away from the Mojave. Oizys sat down, exhausted, and looked back to the other side of the river, to Legion territory. The reality of the situation hit her and she couldn’t help but laugh out loud. She’s not in Arizona anymore, She’s free! Oizys laid in the sand and squinted up at the cloudless sky, happy and tired. 

She sat up again after sometime and grabbed the bag she had thrown to the side when she reached shore. Her best bet was to find a road, or a town, and get directions. Oizys didn’t know anything about the Mojave, save Hoover Dam and New Vegas. If she could get more of an idea of the land, she could find where ever she needed to go to find Momus. Oizys began to feel more excited and quickly started to walk, this time to her right, looking up at the hills as she tried to find a place where she can easily cross them. 

After a while, she found a spot where the hills slope more gently and Oizys began to climb. She had gotten to the top and only looked down for a moment before she ducked, falling flat on her belly before she slowly crept forward, dragging herself closer to the hills edge.

Legionaries, on the NCR’s side of the river, Oizys felt disappointment like a rock in her stomach, growing until it felt heavy in her gut. The four men were making a slow walk towards her, all of them in a line. She had hoped she wouldn’t have to see another Legionary for a while, now it looks like she was going to have to get into a fight. But Oizys never heard the expectant cries of alarm, no taunts or challenges, it seems as none of the four recruits had seen her.

No, only two, Oizys realized, as she raised herself to peek over at them again, only recognizing the crimson and brown uniforms on two of the men. The other two wore different, light brown uniforms. Perhaps these were the NCR that were talked about so hatefully by soldiers back in Flagstaff. Oizys couldn’t tell, but she watched as the four figures approach the hill she was on, before they disappeared at its edge. Oizys peered down curiously, where did they go? Was she seen? She couldn’t of been, someone would of said something. 

It didn’t really matter anyway, Oizys thought as she stood, she could continue on her way, be rid of this damned uniform, and find Momus. Oizys had made her way down the hill before she stopped, her mind going back to those two mystery men the Legion had taken. She can’t leave them there.

But they’re not her problem, Oizys thought, as curious as she was to where they exactly went, Oizys cannot spend her finite time in the Mojave helping every stranger who needed it, so she stood there, arguing with herself, before she quickly turned towards the direction the men had disappeared to. As she made her way forward, she noticed a wooden door at the cliffs side. Oizys pushed it open and entered.

She found herself in an old mine that was lit faintly with torches. Oizys walked cautiously down the caves path until it opened up into a larger cavern. On fire trash cans greatly illuminated the dark room, showing off a rounded out hall like chamber, but Oizys was only able to look around briefly at the caves features before a voice made her jump.

“Hey, you, what are you doing here?”

A Legion veteran and a recruit were walking over towards her. Oizys reached up and relaxed when she realized her face was still hidden.

“Cat gotcher tounge?” The recruit laughed at Oizys fright and sneered down at her.

“No,” Oizys said, getting over her initial shock.

“Did Dead Sea sent you?” The veteran asked, “From Nelson! Did you come from Nelson, boy!?” He added, annoyed, when Oizys didn’t say anything.

“Uh, Yes! Dead Sea sent me…” Oizys said, having no idea who Dead Sea even is.

“You must be here to see Decanus Alexus then. He’s farther down in the mine ,” the veteran sighed and shook his head, before turning to the recruit, “You don’t think all those kids they sent to guard that town are as dull as this one, do you?”

“Duller,” the recruit replied with glee, “You would think that Decanus Dead Sea would of send someone with a bit more smarts here, ya?”

“I would of thought as much- what the hell are you still doing here!?” The veteran barked, making both Oizys and the recruit jump. “Don’t you have a message to deliver!? Get onto it, boy!”

“Y-Yes sir!” Oizys said, and she quickly turned and made her way away from the muttering soldiers.

Fuck, this was so not worth it. Oizys continued to walk, making her way past more recruits who gave her curious side glances before returning back to their duties. Eventually, she reached a plot in the path and headed down the way to the left, that opened up to another, smaller, cavern. 

The recruits Oizys had spotted earlier were there, along with another soldier in a large, feathered, helmet, this could only be the Decanus Alexus the two men from earlier were talking about, the difference in this man’s armor a was stark compared to the other recruits. The two mystery men were kneeling in front of him, their hands tied behind their backs, as Alexus paced, his face, also like Oizys, was covered, as he looked down at one man, than the other. Oizys had entered the room as he was finishing up speaking to the prisoners.

“-you could sneak around and poke your noses into our camp, but we found you, And soon, we will find your friend,” Alexus waved his hand to the other two recruits, “Put these men in separate cells, lock them up. I’ll find a use for them tomorrow.” Alexus made his way to leave when he saw Oizys standing and watching him.

“I don’t think I’ve seen you around here before,” he said, “state your business.”

“I was sent here by Dead Sea,” Oizys replied.

“And what for?”

“Well-,” Oizys racked her brain to come up with an excuse, “I was sent because- because we heard the fight going on, all the way from Nelson. Dead Sea wanted to know if you needed help with your, Uh, prisoners, “ Oizys finished weakly. God that was such a stupid excuse, but she was surprised when Alexus actually nodded his head.

“There is, now that you mention it,” Alexus said, “These two profligates here were not found alone, there was a third. I’m afraid that one has managed to grab a weapon and slip away, but he should not be far, and, unless he heads straight back to that camp of cowards he hides with, he may try to find a way to get some forces to attack, unless we can find him first. Tell Dead Sea to keep an eye out for our missing friend, and tell him thank you for the concern, but me and my forces can take care of ourselves, you understand?”

“Yes sir.”

“Good. Now get a move on,” Alexus moved past Oizys as he made his way down the hall, disappearing into the black. Oizys took one last look at the imprisoned soldiers before she followed him.

Almost no time has passed since she entered the mine. Oizys leaned against a rock next to the entrance and took a deep shuddering breath. This was such a waste of time, she could still easily turn away from this and just leave, but she didn’t move. 

Why was she so strung up on helping two strangers? They’re not the reason she even came to the Mojave, she should just forget about them, run off into the dark and leave. Alexus won’t know and Dead Sea certainly won’t know, but every time Oizys urges herself to leave, her body refused.

She hated that she knew why she wouldn’t move.

Oizys gave a large sigh and stood up straight. She figured, if there’s any place to start a rescue mission, then finding the missing NCR trooper is the perfect place to begin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a bit of a 2 parter. I never actually explored the area around Techatticup, so I may be getting some stuff wrong. I ended up watching a couple of videos and doing some research about it,but I never plan on my Courier doing every mission offered in New Vegas, a couple of them fit well enough for story stuff for Oizys. I'll post the next chapter either later today or tomorrow :' D
> 
> I also referenced my friend Dholes kids in this. I love their Legion fics and you guys should read them here: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dhole/pseuds/Dhole


	3. Chapter 3

This was not going at all as Oizys had hoped it would.

She blinked, tired, as the sun set slowly behind the hills. When she had decided earlier to find this missing patrol man, she had hoped that he was maybe close by, hidden behind a rock or something, waiting for the right moment to break into the mine and set his fellow men free. Instead, Oizys found nothing but dirt, dirt, rock, dirt, bush, and more dirt. No NCR soldier or squad in sight, and why should they be? As far as Oizys is aware, thanks to Alexus, the Legion had the upper hand in this area, in control of both the Techatticup Mine and some nearby town called Nelson.

Oizys figures she could sleep by some cliff, maybe make a fire with the brush, and begin her search again in the morning. The day has been exhausting and it was hard for her to believe she was by the riverside just that morning, feeling more hopeful than she had felt for years . It already felt like days ago.

Oizys was so focused on thinking of what she was going to do for dinner when something came and tackled her, hard. She fell to the ground and felt hands roll her around. She managed to look up at a dark figure before a fist slammed to the side of her face. Dazed, she didn’t move as whoever was on top of her ripped the coverings from her face.

“A girl?” A confused voice said, and Oizys felt the weight disappear as the man got off her. Oizys sat up and saw that the stranger was dressed like the soldiers in the mine. This man had short, black hair with a beard, and he was glaring down, a pistol drawn, at Oizys who raised a hand to touch the spot where he had hit her.

“Great, the exact fucking time I stop looking for you and you decide to come out?” Oizys said as she rubbed the future bruise, returning the man’s glare.

“You were looking for me?” The man asked, and he raised the gun so slightly higher. 

“Not to kill you, if that’s what you’re thinking, though I’m very tempted to return that punch,” Oizys said. The man still looked suspicious.

“Who are you? How come a woman is wearing Legion clothes?”

“Well, sir, it’s a fuck long story that I don’t feel necessary to tell the man who just punched me in the face, so let me give you the short version. I hate the Legion as much as you do and, lucky for me, I know where your friends are.”

“They’re down at the mine, I knew that already,” The man slowly lowered his gun then holstered it, before holding out a hand that Oizys grabbed. The man lifted the smaller woman to her feet.

“Good, cause there’s a lot of Legion soldiers there, and I’m going to need your help to get them out.”

“Why were you even down there?”

“I saw your friends dragged down there and I followed,” Oizys said and tugged at her shirt, “I wanted to see what exactly was going on and none of the men in there had enough brain cells to know I shouldn’t be there, and I thought “wow, I wonder how fucked they would get if I helped their prisoners escape,” and now here I am, getting beat up by a strange man that, sadly, was the one guy I was looking for who could help me..”

“Right…” The man said. He looked more relaxed now then before, though he was starting to look ruffled at Oizy’s comments. “My name is Private Reynolds, I’m from the NCR. Me and my patrol were ambushed by that bastard, Alexus, but I managed to escape before we reached the mines.”

“Nice to meet you, Private,” Oizys said, not bothering to give him her name.

“What plan do you have in mind?”

“Do you have any friends nearby who we could plan an attack with?”

“The only people I know of are at Camp Forlorn Hope, but there’s no one to spare for a rescue mission and my men will be dead by the time we can even get a rescue party together. The camp gets constantly attacked and we need every troop to protect the ”

“Ok then, so we are on our own, great,” Oizys paused to think, “You said Camp Forlorn Hope gets attack’s from Nelson? Have they tried to make an assault back?”

“A couple times… but they defend the town well,” Reynolds seemed embarrassed to admit this.

“How long ago was the last one?”

“I don’t know, weeks? Why is this important?”

“What if,” Oizys began, “we give Alexus a reason to leave his hiding spot. Something that requires him and his men to go, something he can’t ignore…”

\------------------

 

Oizys entered the main chamber again and began to look for Alexus in a hurry. 

“Ha, looks like the little baby from yesterday came back,” the same recruit yelled at her from almost the same spot he was at before, “looking for your mummy, are we?”

“Decanus Alexus!” Oizys yelled, looking around hoping she looked convincingly panicked,”I’m looking for the Decanus!”

The recruits smile dropped and he gave her an annoyed glare. 

“Alright, ya, quit the noise, yer given me ears a bloody ringing with yer yelping,” he said. He pointed as Alexus was hurrying towards the noise, another recruit with him.

“What is the meaning of this?” Alexus asked, walking past the recruit who continued to lean on the wall, smirking. His helmet was off this time, revealing bling hair and blue eyes as he looked between Oizys and the recruit she was talking to.

“You,” he began, recognizing Oizys, “I thought I sent you back to Nelson yesterday.”

“You did, Decanus Alexus, sir!” Oizys said, “But Decanus Dead Sea has sent me back! The escaped man from yesterday, he was spotted returning back to the profligates camp and they are preparing to attack Nelson as we speak! Decanus Dead Sea has requested that you and some of your troops come and help defend the town!”

Alexus pinched where the bridge of his nose is at.

“Dead Sea doesn’t need my help, he’s been defending that town well enough on his own,” Alexus said, “why does he suddenly need me and my men now?”

“They’ve been making plans to attack Nelson for a while, but this must have been the last straw for them because they plan to attack tonight!”

“Attack tonight? We’ve been attacking every group they tried to get to that camp since we got here, how could they even have enough men for an assault?” Alexus voice had taken a darker tone, even the recruit that arrived behind him had started watching Oizys with suspicion. She had to lie fast.

“Because… they’re not going to becoming from the camp,” Oizys said.

“They’re not coming from the camp? Then where exactly are they coming from?”

“Somewhere farther away, another nearby camp where we don’t have any of our men at. Apparently, the NCR has been trying to set up a new camp closer to the camp already here for weeks now, to help provide aid, but the capturing of this patrol was the last straw!” Oizys noticed Alexus stiffin, satisfied to see that she has gotten him to take her lie seriously now.

“They want to send another raid into Nelson, this time with more men than they’ve sent before! They’re very determined to take the town back!” Oizys finished dramatically.

Alexus stood still and didn’t move, even the recruit, who has been mocking Oizys call for help behind Alexus’s back most of the time while she spoke, now looked more solemn.

“Those damn profligates,” Alexus cursed, “alright then, I’ll go.”

“What about those prisoners?” The recruit asked.

“Yes, Them,” Alexus unclipped a Set of keys from his belt and tossed them to the recruit, who looked baffled, “you get to watch them while I’m gone.”

“Awww, I hate playing a bloody babysitter...,” The man said, quietly.

“As for you,” Alexus said, turning back to Oizys, “You’re to stay as well. I can leave a couple of my soldiers behind, in the event that we also experience an attack. Your Decanus better not be calling us over for nothing, for your sake.”

“Of course not, sir,” Oizys said, wondering what the look on this Dead Sea’s face is going to be like when Alexus shows up and finds out he never had sent a recruit to the mines in the first place.

“If that is everything, then get moving!” Alexus ordered, and left, the recruit he arrived with following closely at his tail.

“This blows,” the other recruit said when he left, “bloody Decanus couldn’t of just gotten you the key to watch the these stupid prisoners, now I’m gonna go and get meself some radiation poisoning, I am.”

“I can watch them for you?” Oizys suggested, helpfully.

“Aye, that’s be useful,” the recruit agreed, “I get to be the king of the keys, you get to do the grunt work. Glad I thought of it.”

“Yeah, totally,” Oizys said. This man annoyed her every time he opened his mouth.

“Well, get a move on then,” the recruit said, slapping his hand on the back of her head as he walked past her. Oizys winced, then began to walk to where the troopers were. Oizys hoped Reynolds had managed to keep himself hidden on the top of the hill where she told him to wait. She wasn’t even sure of their plan was going to work long enough to get everyone out, and if it didn’t, Oizys did not want to think what Alexus will do to the both of them when he returns.

No time to focus on the ifs, Oizys had to tell the others about the plan. She wished Alexus had left her with the key instead of big and stupid back in the other chamber, but she would have to make do, as long as Reynolds did his part properly.

Oizys made her way to the prisoners are to find one terribly bored guard. The two prisoners in each makeshift cell looked ill, but both managed to look angry at the arrival at another Legionary.

The bored recruit looked up Oizys arrival, narrowing his green eyes at her.

“You again? Weren't you the runt that’s acting as a courier? What do you want?”

“I was told to guard the prisoners while Decanus Alexus was away,” Oizys replied. The recruit gave a big sigh of relief.

“Oh finally, this was getting so dull, I’ve been watching these two for hours,” the recruit said as he stretched, lifting his arms high, “have fun, squirt.”

He pat the top of Oizys helmet as he walked past her. Oizys adjusted it, then waited a moment, before walking up to the two prisoners cell. She knelt down in front of one, gripping the prison door with one hand.

“What do you want, shorty? Come to gloat?” The prisoner asked.

“Shut up, Simmons!” The other one said. The first one gave a laugh that quickly turned into a cough.

“You dumbasses realize you’re just slowly killing us, right?” Simmons coughed, “you’ll be out two prisoners in a few days if you keep this up.”

“Simmons, shut UP! Don’t make it worse!” The other one said, shuffling himself towards the door.

“That’s why I’m trying to get you two idiots out of here,” Oizys said, interrupting Simmons reply.

“Oh really, pipsqueak,” Simmons said, “and what exactly are you gonna do to get us out?”

“Private Reynolds is outside the mines, or coming in, I’m not sure exactly yet,” Oizys said. She noticed the other two stiffen when she mentioned his name.

“Who the hell are you?” The nameless prisoner asked.

“Just a new kid in town. Now, I need you two to prepare for a fight, you got it,” Oizys said.

“Can’t really do that with our hands tied up, can we?” Simmons said, “You wouldn’t to happen to have the keys, would you?”

“No, but I know who does,” Oizys stood up, “I’ll be back.”

“Take your time, we’re not going anywhere,” Simmons said, starting another cough attack. Simmons was right, these men were getting radiation poisoning. Oizys made her way down the hall, hoping the recruit from before isn’t still mulling around.

Oizys met no one as she made her way to the the fork that led to the other direction Oizys had not taken yet and to the main chamber. Curious, Oizys went down to the right fork, maybe that annoying recruit from earlier is there.

Instead she was met with another set of doors, miraculously unlocked, with supplies and weapons on the shelves. Oizys took a quick look behind her before she tossed a couple more machetes and some healing powder into her pack. She may as well get prepared, and she didn’t mind stealing from the Legion at all.

Oizys quickly went back to the fork and crept along to the main chamber. She couldn’t see anyone but as she made her way forward, voices of the recruit, the one she recognized that Alexus left with the keys, became louder.

“- and thought you can kill Ayers- did ya, you brute. Pretty lucky on me part to have caught ya sneakin in. Tryin to get ya friends back? You can see them again, I’ll throw you in a cell meself I will.”

Oizys crept closer and saw the recruit standing with a gun trained down onto a fallen Reynolds. Reynolds had a huge gash across his face, but other than the cut, he seemed unharmed.

“Alexus is not gonna like that ya killed Ayers, he won’t,” the recruit continued.

“And the two you left up top,” Reynolds said, earning himself a kick from the recruit. Reynolds groaned in pain.

“Ya! Ya! You did that too, didn’t ya? Well, yer body is gonna make a nice warning for any of you profligates who try to pull the same stunt it will. Maybe I’ll get short an scrawny on it wherever he went, someone’s gotta build the cross for yer corpse.”

Oizys continued to creep closer as the man talked, slowly pulling out her machete.

“I’m gonna get promoted for this I will. Maybe sent back to the Fort? Hopefully, I’m tired of being here. This place is irradiated and there’s no- grk!” The recruit gasped as Oizys slammed the machete into the side of the man’s neck. The man stumbled off to the side, a hand on the gaping wound as blood flowed rapidly through his fingers.

A gurgling noise came from the man, turning to give Oizys a wide look of surprise, before Reynolds knocked him off his feet. The recruit stammered once more as he landed, before he laid still, blood starting to form a puddle as he bled.

“Thanks,” Reynolds said, “Thought he had me for a moment.”

“No trouble,” Oizys said as she knelt down and grabbed the jail keys from the bleeding corpse.

“Where are the others?” Reynolds asked.

“Down the hall, but after we get them, we need to move. Alexus could be on his way back now for all we know.”

Reynolds nodded and the two began to run down the hall. Right fork, and they were back at the room where Simmons and the other trooper were kept. They both looked flabbergasted as Oizys hurried over to unlock each door.

“I thought he was just fucking around with us!” Simmons said as Reynolds untied him.

“She’s the reason I got in here in the first place,” Reynolds said, “Very smart, coming up with a distraction like that. Can’t wait to read another one of those annoying letters Dead Sea sends us next week, complaining about how we killed his friends men. It’ll make my week.”

Oizys handed each trooper a machete. 

“We have to go, now!” Oizys said.

The group ran through the mines, past the corpse of the jailer, past Ayers and two others that Reynolds had killed earlier, out of the mine door and into the Mojave wasteland.

Simmons stopped to catch his breath outside but Oizys urged him forward.

“We gotta get away from here, far enough away, get us a head start,” she huffed, and Simmons continued to jog with the group, each keeping their heads on a swivel as they looked around for any group that could be Alexus’s.

They ran for a while before Simmons stopped again, this time insisting for a break. He sat down, panting, then turned and vomited. Oizys wanted to laugh but decided not to, instead, she took off the helmet and tossed it to the side along with her goggles.

“You guys should be fine now,” She said, when Simmons was finished. 

“What about you?” Reynolds asked, “The NCR could use guts like yours, kid, I can vouch for you, you could get a place with us and fight the real fight.”

“No, I’m not interested in fighting this war,” Oizys said, “I’m keeping my stay here as short as possible. Just got an errand to run and then I’ll be out of the Mojave and off to some other wasteland.”

Reynolds nodded, looking slightly disappointed, but Oizys didn’t want to fight in the Legion’s war. As much as the idea of keeping Caesar’s precious dam away from him pleased her, her brother is her priority, not some petty fight.

“Well then, I wish you luck,” Reynolds held out a hand to Oizys, who took it and shook it. Then, she left the group, making her way out into the desert and onto her next adventure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I haven't updated in a while, sorry about that! I got a couple of other chapters that just need to draft before I can post, but I'll be back to posting more soon!


	4. Chapter 4

“A Courier found shot in Goodsprings Cemetery has finally woke up, and will be making a full recovery-“

Mr.New Vegas continued on with his news report as Oizys mulled over the supplies at the Dino shop located in Novac. The bored shopkeeper waited for her to be finished, upset that none of the stuff she was taking would include one of the Dino toys that filled the man’s closet. Oizys finally pulled out rifle ammunition and some gecko jerky.

“I’ll take these.”

“Ok, and with the things you brought in for me, that means I owe you about… 24 caps.”

“Alright then.”

“You know, you can use those extra caps to buy a-“

“No.”

“But consider-“

“I don’t need a dinosaur toy, thank you!”

“No one ever wants the dinosaur toys,” the shopkeeper huffed before he handed Oizys her money. Oizys thanked him as she slung her sniper rifle across her shoulder, her pack hanging on her other side, and left the shop.

It’s been a couple weeks since Oizys had helped Private Reynolds free his team from Alexus’s grasp. Oizys had spent the next few days afterwards hiding from any hunting party that may be after her, but had not seen any crimson soldiers approach her in the distance. Oizys assumes they think she was with Reynolds, who she hoped made it back to the NCR safely, but Oizys wasn’t sure.

And worrying about those soldiers was not her job anyway. Yes she wanted to help Simmons and his friend, but she had no interest in actually joining them. She has her own mission to worry about. They are on their own, just as Oizys herself is alone.

And everything picked up for her after she’s left them, that’s for sure. Within a few days after leaving Reynolds and his team, Oizys had found another abandoned farm, burnt down, but with the animals still miraculously alive. A little digging revealed the arson was intentional by one of the farms old inhabitants, but Oizys took no care into looking for the reason why. She did, however, locate an only partially scorched wardrobe with a couple changes of clothes inside. Oizys finally was able to rid herself of the Legions clothes and replaced them with a pair of brown pants, slightly too long for her, and a stained, white T-Shirt. A wide brimmed hat was also on the inside, protecting her face from the sun. 

Oizys soon found other towns, one trade station located on an old intersection, and small homes laying scattered across the wasteland. Oizys liked Novac a lot and has already stayed some nights in it’s hotels, but the town of Nipton was sketchy with NCR and some gang calling themselves the Powder Gangers, both running among the townsfolk like they own the place. Primm was another town she visited, just once, that seemed peaceful enough. But even with all these places, none of them showed any sign of having to ever been visited by Momus.

Oizys did ask around about the Legion. Most people avoided the topic altogether while others had plenty enough to say about them. The Legion had 3 settlements, 2 on this side of the Colorado River, Cottonwood Cove And Nelson, and on the other side, the Fort. Caesar was planning on having his Legate, Lanius, come back from the east to help fight in the war. The Legion is going to take the Dam. The Legion is planning a retreat. The NCR has been infiltrated and their President, Kimball, is as good as dead, the NCR already has assassins training their eyes on Caesar as we speak.

Not much Oizys heard sounded true to her, but she didn’t really care either way, unless it involved her brother. She tried to ask to see if people around may have seen him, but after getting laughs and mocking answers of “have you looked in a mirror,” Oizys gave up on asking about her twin. A few nicer people gave their condolences on her brother being taken prisoner, but Oizys knew better to correct them and tell them he’s a Legion soldier. Better not have the desert turn on them both.

The Mojave desert was huge. It had already taken Oizys a week to find the few towns that laid scattered across the desert and she still hasn’t even visited the famous New Vegas yet. Oizys couldn’t see Momus going there, but she would not be surprised if he was there as a spy, she thought, as Novac became a small speck in the desert behind her.

Even so, looking for Momus was not the only thing she’s been doing.

Oizys walked for miles, following some old railroad tracks north. As the sun began to set, she saw them in the distance. There were only 3, but Oizys could not mistake a Legion uniform for anything else. 

The group seemed to be talking as they walked, getting into a heated discussion that Oizys couldn’t hear. That didn’t matter, she thought, as she pulled out her sniper rifle.

This weapon was probably the best thing she managed to scavenge since she arrived in the Mojave. Well, scavenge is the nicer word. She more or less killed for it.

A couple days ago, Oizys was on her way from Nipton to Novac, when someone started to shoot at her from a distance. She had hid behind some rocks before she she started to move along them, keeping her head down as the sniper continued to shoot. It took a few hours of dodging and hiding, but were made up when the sniper, bored with his useless triage of bullets, came down from his hiding spot to search for her. The man was surprised to find a knife in his gut when he turned a corner, and Oizys was given one brand new rifle. The small camp yielded not much loot, but the gun itself was a good find, easy to reload and powerful and, the best part, Oizys knew already how to use the damn thing.

Oizys loaded the gun up with the new ammo and took aim, placing the crosshairs on the back of the head of the one recruit that wasn’t wearing his helmet. She took aim and pulled the trigger, watching a red flower of blood bloom where the bullet hit. The body collapsed and the other two men began to look around for the mysterious sniper. Oizys, in their confusion, was easily was able to take down the other two before she walked up to their corpses, pulling off more ammo, and left the bodies to bake in the hot desert sun.

That night, Oizys made camp near a cliff side, hoping the fallen rocks that surrounded her would make for good cover in the desert night. Oizys leaned back and looked up at the sky. The dying fire made it hard to see, but Oizys knew that above her, the night sky was lit brilliantly by stars. Oizys never saw the sky like that at Flagstaff, but the Legion City was always well lit enough to block out the darkness and even so, her or her brother were never allowed out late enough to do something as simple as star gazing.

Oizys had started drifting off when she heard a small clatter of rocks. She froze, now wide awake, and listened. Over the quiet noises the fire still made, Oizys could hear, just barely, voices muttering to themselves. Oizys tensed up and slowly, pulled out a knife she had in her pants pocket. After hearing another noise coming directly from her right, Oizys sat up and lunged, intending to drive the knife into whoever was sneaking up on her.

“Hey, whoa whoa, truce!” A voice yelled, and Oizys stopped when she saw the hand reaching out to her belonged to an NCR soldier.

“Private Reynolds?” She asked, but the man looked nothing like him, neither did the other 5 men and women who appeared from behind the rocks around her. The one beside her looked different from them, his uniform was fancier than the others, and wore a wide brimmed hat on his head instead of the usual helmets and hoods.

“No no, he’s safe. He told the men back at Camp Forlorn Hope what you did. The news reached us back at Camp McCarren,” the trooper held out a hand to shake Oizys, “you make yourself easy to track, which is a good thing, for us. Ma’am, my name is Jay Howell, I’m a Ranger assigned to Camp McCarren and I’ve been sent to find you.”

“Find… me?” Oizys asked after she shook Howell’s hand. 

“Yes. There are very few people out here who would risk their lives to save one of our troops. You snuck into a Legion camp and pulled them right out of one of their Decanus noses. One of the majors back at Camp McCarren has taken a great interest and has requested to meet you. The NCR could use more people like you.”

“I already told Reynolds, I don’t want to join the NCR. I have things going on,” Oizys said, annoyed at where this conversation was going.

“Like wandering around the desert to kill stray Legion patrols and explore towns?” Oizys eyes widened as the man chuckled, “Like I said, ma’am, you are easy to track. You don’t need to be a loner to do that, the NCR can let you do what you want, and more. Surely whatever you’re looking for is something to NCR can help you find?”

Oizys had never thought of it like that, the NCR could tell her everything about the Legions forces, and maybe where she could find Momus, but she knew she shouldn’t. She couldn’t tell these men who she was or the person she’s looking for, she can’t do it, she won’t.

But…

Oizys stood up, the ranger standing with her.

“Alright. I’ll go with you. Let me hear what your leader has to say.”

 

———————

“This is your camp?” Oizys asked as she looked down the large space of an old airport. It was mostly empty with some troops walking around and scattered tents everywhere. Oizys couldn’t figure out where to look first, but was soon dragged back to reality at the sound of Howell’s voice.

“One Of Them, And the largest one. You see that?” Howell pointed at a large structure that started at one building and snaked its way out of the camp. “That’s the monorail. It goes directly from into this camp and out into New Vegas. Come on.” And Howell began walking towards that building, the 4 other troopers walking behind him.

Oizys followed them, all the while she continued to gaze at the camp around her. Troopers and rangers alike took little notice of her as the group passed, although a few called out in greeting. One man laughed at another woman’s joke as the two stood outside a tent, but stopped their discussion to wave at Howell, who waved back. The soldiers here seemed more laid back then the ones Oizys knew from the Legion camps, whose strict regiments left little laughter to be made. It all felt almost domesticated in Camp McCarren. 

But even so, the tension was obvious. Some of the soldiers they passed looked strained, bags under their eyes made it obvious they had trouble sleeping at night. A couple Troopers had their arms in slings or bandages. Most wore heavy scars, their wearers proudly showing their trophies off from past battles, happy to have survived.

Oizys made it pass these groups of people and into the building. Inside, Howell waved away the five troopers and beckoned Oizys to follow him. The two climbed a broken escalator and past a couple of Power Armor cladded soldiers, a door they were guarding between them. Oizys watched them curiously.

“That leads to the Monorail,” Howell explained.

“What is it and why is it so important you need robots to guard it?” Oizys asked.

“The monorail is a train.It’s the quickest way to get from New Vegas to the Camp. If we were under siege and needed to escape, that’s where we can go. As such, currently only authorized personals are allowed to use it at the moment.”

Howell led Oizys past the Monorail and down the hall. Oizys looked into open doors to find empty offices, rooms crammed with supplies, and other troopers, some writing things down or eating meals. They continued down the hall until Howell stopped at one door at his right and pointed at it.

“Here she is,” Howell said, and opened the door, ushering Oizys inside.

A lone woman sat in the office space, looking down at some maps on the desk, muttering to herself. She stopped when Howell and Oizys stepped inside.

“Is this the girl?” The woman asked. Oizys studied her. She had graying hair with very little brown still left in it, tied up into a messy bun on her head. A few strands that didn’t make it to the bun fell down her face, covering parts of her wrinkled features. The woman was tanned and freckled, small scars tracing the sides of her face, she couldn’t have been more than in her late 50’s. She frowned at Oizys as she looked her up and down. “She’s a lot smaller and younger than I thought she would be. How old are you, girl?”

“20,” Oizys replied.

“20. I’ve had younger come serve the NCR in this war. Got to make sure we’re not sending children into battle, otherwise they’d have my head. Alright, Howell, leave us.”

“Yes ma’am,” Howell said, and with a goodbye to Oizys, he left the room, leaving her alone with this woman.

“Sit down,” The woman commanded, looking back into her maps. Oizys sat in one of the chairs in front of her desk and waited for the woman to be done.

“Uhmmm, excuse me?” Oizys asked after a while. The woman looked back up.

“Yes, What is it?”

“Well, you came and got some of your men to take me all the way from Novac to here.”

“Yes I am well aware of that.”

“Can you tell me why?”

“I suppose.”

The woman went back to what she was doing. Oizys was starting to get annoyed.

“Well...?”

“You can wait a minute.”

Oizys sat, impatient, and for a few moments, the two were silent. Finally, the woman looked back up, crossed her hands over the map, and leaned forward, finally giving Oizys her attention.

“Young lady, my name is Major Stephanie Page, And I use to be a desert ranger for the NCR until the Battle of Hoover Dam happened. I’ve been a major for four years now and I have to tell you, I have not seen a kid with guts like yours in years.”

“Ah, OK,” Oizys said, not sure where Page was going with this.

“Ok is all she can say. Young lady, you’ve been taking out patrol after patrol of Legion soldiers for how long?”

“Two weeks…”

“Two weeks!”

“But I’m sure you guys do that all the time, right?”

Page gave a sharp laugh. “Most of these men are too scared to get near one Legionary, never mind two. Most are not close enough prepared to fight in a real battle. But then you come in,” Page gestured to Oizys, “all ready for blood and blood is what you got. Why?”

“I don’t like the Legion,” is all Oizys could say.

“Obviously! But there’s got to be more to it than that. No one, except for someone like you, would go through all this just cause they dislike someone.”

“Someone like me?”

Page smiled and leaned in closer. “Exactly how long were you living in the Legion, girl?”

Oizys blood froze. She opened her mouth, but nothing would come out. Page laughed.

“Relax, I’m not going to have you arrested. Howell may be as dumb as a bag of bricks to not have put two and two together, but anyone smart enough would realize you got some personal vendetta against them, so I’m gonna ask you, and you better answer me honestly, who exactly are you and why have you decided to become an assassin rather than running away to some better place like any sane ex-slave would of done?”

Oizys was silent, trying to think of a way out of this. She should of known that she was going to be pushed for her past, but she never realized anyone so easily could've figured out where she came from. Page watched her, expectantly, waiting for an answer. 

“I don’t… know what you mean by ‘living in the Legion’,” Oizys finally said.

“Well, you’re obviously not from the NCR, most who are either stay home or join the army. You’ve been wandering the desert like a lost dog for weeks, so you’re not from the Mojave, so that means you must be from out east, in Legion territory,” Page lost her smile.

“Look,” she said, in a quieter voice, more serious this time, “Mine and the NCR’s intentions are not to harm you, and even if the work you’re doing is good for the Mojave, we both know eventually our interests are going to line up against each other. I want to avoid that from happening,” Page leaned back into her chair, rotating it from side to side as she continued to watch Oizys.

“The way I see it, the best way for us both to get what we want is for you to join us, but that involves having some kind of trust in each other. We can keep your history a secret between us, for now, but I can’t protect you here or out there unless I know exactly what from. Do you understand?”

Oizys nodded but continued not to say anything. Page continued to wait, watching her as she slowly spun her chair side to side. After a few more silent moments, Oizys finally took a deep breath and spoke.

“My name is Oizys and I was born in Flagstaff, the Legion’s Capital,” Oizys began, “ I’ve lived there my whole life with my father, my mother, and my twin brother. My father was a horrible man who left to go fight when the Legion first went to war, and my brother-“ Oizys stopped and took a deep breath to steady herself, “Momus was suppose to leave days after I left. I didn’t want him to go, our father was going to be there, waiting for him, but he had to. Then- then, I killed a Legion recruit,” Oizys stopped again.

“Why did you kill him,” Page asked, but Oizys shook her head.

“Alright then. So you killed this man?”

“And I fled,” Oizys continued, “I was lost, for a while, but decided I have had enough anyway. I never liked living in Flagstaff. My father said I wasn’t a slave, but I was treated enough as one. I wanted out and I finally got it. So I made my way here, to find my brother, to find Momus. He’s the only family I have I still care about, I want to help him leave the Legion.”

“And what if he doesn’t want to leave?” Page asked.

“He will, he always listens to me,” Oizys replied.

“So that’s why you’re in the Mojave, because you think he’s here and still alive,” Page nodded.

“I’m here because he is still alive,” Oizys said.

“It’s very noble of you, wanting to help him, hoping he’ll change, but you’re not going to find him.”

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me,” Page said, unflinching, “eventually, your luck is going to run out. How long can you keep going like this, attacking every Legion soldier you see? When the assassins come for you, the frumentarii, some Centurion and his army? You think the Legions gonna ignore every little fly it has on its hide? No, they’re going to want to crush it, you out of anyone should know better than that.”

Oizys knew she was right but didn’t want to admit it.

“However, the NCR can give you a place to belong. Any wounds you may receive, treated, you’ll never have to worry about starving, dying from thirst, you can continue your search, so long as you help us.”

“With what?” Oizys asked, but she already knew the answer.

“To win this damned war!” Page said, “My men drop like flies outside these Camp walls and more Legionaries join Caesar at his Fort with each passing day! And the thing we need is more people like you, people who can inspire these cowards that thought war was all fun and games to pick up a fucking gun and actually fight!”

Page had leaned over towards Oizys again, this time looking straight sync oizys face. Oizys looked back, unflinching, into Pages gray eyes.

“You can leave this place and continue on with your silly hunt or you can actually join something that’s gonna unfuck this fucked situation! So now, Oizys,” Page finished as she leaned back, “what’s it’s going to be?”

Oizys didn’t say anything, and it wasn’t until Page sighed did she speak.

“I’ll do it. I’ll play soldier for you,” Oizys said, earning her a smile from Page, “But-“

“What’s the catch?”

“My brother. I want him out of the Legion, and I want him unharmed.”

“You know how almost impossible that’s going to be.”

“I don’t care! He’s my brother and- and I don’t care if he’s a soldier, he needs me and I need to find him!”

“I can see what I can do but I won’t be able to make promises.”

“He won’t be killed?” Oizys asked with bated breath.

“I’ll put a notice out. I will have to talk with my higher ups if he would be allowed a pardon for any crimes he may have committed while in the Legion, of course, anything more serious and it will be more difficult for him to be… forgiven. But in the end, yes, I promise, I’ll do anything in my power to make sure he’s alive. Of course, you’ll have to provide a description of who exactly I’m looking for, but if he’s your twin, well, that shouldn’t be hard to get, now would it,” Page said.

Oizys nodded, relieved. Inside, however, that gross feeling, like a rock, grew in her stomach. What exactly has she gotten herself into?

“Good then,” Page said, “There should be some Barracks you can go to for the night. Because of your position, I’m allowing you access onto the monorails. You’ll be able to visit the Strip in New Vegas and come and go to Freeside as you please. However, any leisurely activities you now may be planning there will have to be on hold for the moment. You’re to train with the newest group of rangers that have arrived from New California. You’ll wake up at sunrise tomorrow with the rest of the group for training and eat with them. You will watch out for them as they will with you. You got that?”

“I guess?” Oizys said.

“Good. Now, away with you, Soldier!”

Page waved her off and began to examine her maps again. Oizys stood up immediately, and walked out the door, leaving Page alone to continue her work.

 

———————

The sky seemed to have a red tint in the coming night as the sun began its final descent downwards. A lone woman in Legion Armor walked through the Fort, looking at the camp as if she was in charge of those who roamed it. She made her way past Legion soldiers, a few stopped their muttering as she past them, but she didn’t care. Many men in the camp knew what happened if she heard their quiet insults, and those who were warned of her wrath take caution and bite their tongues in her precense.

Of course, most men don’t listen to the warnings, as another pair were about to find out right now, this woman was not someone to cross. The two were laughing, blocking the entrance to a tent as the woman approached them. One nudged the other one when he noticed the woman, and they both leered down at her.

“Ha, look at this, the mighty Putoria has come to grace us with her beauty!” Said one recruit, giving a fake bow to the smaller woman. His friend chuckled.

“Is Ferus in there?” Putoria asked.

“Yeah, he’s in there, but we don’t wanna move and we’re sure as hell he doesn’t want to talk to you. Piss off.”

“Unfortunately, he doesn’t a choice. Move.”

“You’re not coming into the tent, you scummy gull. Go squawk to someone who cares, unless you need to be taught a lesson?”

The recruit made to raise his hand, trying to ward her off, but Putoria had quickly grabbed three of the man’s fingers and, before he knew what was going on, he cried out in pain as his hand was twisted backwards, Putoria pulling his wrist back farther than it should. With a swift kick to the back of the knee, the soldier was on the ground. His friend stepped forward to help him, but was met with a drawn machete blade pointed at him. Putoria dug the heel of her boot into the back of the fallen recruit.

“Ok, Gents, why don’t I go an give you two a lesson in politeness. Now, when a lady asks you to move out of her fuckin way, you…?” 

“Fuck off, bitch!”

“Tut tut, not the right answer,” and Putoria dug her heel harder into the man’s back, making him cry out.

“What is it you fuckin do?” She snarled.

“Ahhh, move I move I get it!”

“Good. An So next time, when she asks you to move…?”

“I’ll move just get off of me!”

“Good!” Putoria said sweetly, and lifted her foot off the man, sheathing her machete. The man rolled over and sat up, embarrassed. Putoria leaned over and patted him on the cheek.

“Don’t worry, I’m sure only maybe 5 people an your friend saw that,” she smiled before walking into the tent.

There was only one person inside. A very tall boy laid on a sleeping back, staring unblinkingly at the ceiling, not giving any indication that he noticed Putoria had come inside. Putoria shook her head, the boy is always so weird, but he does what she needs him to do, so she’s more than happy to be stuck with him.

She walked over to Ferus and bent over, her face a few feet above his. Fetus blinked a couple of times, surprised.

“Putoria?”

“Happy to see me?” Putoria backed away as Ferus sat up, now sitting crossed legged on the sleeping bag.

“I got a thing that Vulpes Inculta wants done.”

“Ok.”

“Aren’t you gonna ask what it is?”

“What is it that Vulpes Inculta needs done?” Ferus asked.

“He wants us to find some sniper. Vulpes thinks they’re NCR but whoever they are, they’ve been taking out plenty of patrols to become an issue. May be that same person Alexus whined about weeks ago. Vulpes to find out who this person is and, lucky you, you get to be the one that goes and does it!” Putoria finished on a giddy note. Ferus didn’t say anything. Putoria frowned. Doesn’t anything excite him?

“Well?” Putoria said. Ferus shrugged.

“You want me to find a sniper and find out who they are,” Ferus said.

“Yes! Good boy!” Putoria exclaimed sarcastically, and reached to give Ferus a pat on the head. Ferus tried to lean back, but Putoria quickly gave him a couple of pats before she stood up straight again.

“And what should I do after that?” Ferus asked, leaning forward again.

Putoria tapped a finger on her cheek, like she is deep in thought.

“Hmmm, I really don’t know…” she said, mockingly.

“You want me to kill them?” Ferus asked, helpfully.

“Of course I want you to kill them! They just need to go!” Putoria gave a laugh, “you’re so silly! Just go an kill the guy an come back before Vulpes Inculta comes back from his next trip so I can shove it in his face, got it?”

“Yes ma’am,” Ferus said and she nodded in approval.

“Good kid,” she said, and turned around to walk back out the tent. Ferus sat for a while after she left before he laid back down again, hoping for one last good night sleep before he begins his hunt tomorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ve been dying to introduce Major Page. She’s an OC who I love writing and I hope you all like her too.
> 
> Also yeah I decided to post Chapter 4 pretty soon after Chapter 3. I’m going to a convention this week end so I won’t be writing much while gone : D


	5. Chapter 5

_Flagstaff Arizona, 2277_

 

Oizys looked down the scope at the rifle before she took aim at the dummy in front of her. She slowly adjusted the scopes crosshairs to match up with the big red X painted on the dolls center. Nearby, Oizys twin brother, Momus, watched, sitting on a nearby bench as he waited for Oizys to take the shot. 

They were in a more secluded part of Flagstaff in what must of been an old backyard before the war. Much of the yard was surrounded by intact stone walls, allowing Oizys to shoot rifles without being seen by the Legionaries that patrol the streets. Momus has set the place up like a training area, a couple of straw dummies were propped up along one of the yards walls and some benches allowed Oizys and Momus to sit when they were tired.

When Oizys felt like everything was lined up properly, Oizys exhaled, squeezing the trigger. The bullet hit, almost directly in the center of the dummy, and Momus gave a whoop and started clapping.

“You did such a good job!”

Oizys placed the gun down and examined the dummy.

“It didn’t hit the center though…”

“You got close!”

“Not close enough.” Oizys walked over and sat next to her brother, leaning against the wall behind them. Momus continued to lean forward, sitting in what looked like to Oizys, an almost uncomfortable position.

“Did they ever found out who did it?” Oizys asked. Momus looked over his shoulder at her. Oizys leaned a little forward and tapped her own back.

You mean the-? No, they didn’t,” He squeaked the last line and looked away. Oizys frowned.

“You know, you could have father arrested and killed for it,” Oizys said, and Momus quickly turned around again to look at her.

“Oizys!” He said, surprised.

“It is his fault!”

“I don’t want to cause anymore trouble,” Momus looked away again and sighed. Oizys stood up and faced him.

“He went and whipped you then left you in an alley! You need to tell someone!”

“I don’t want to!”

“What if he comes back? What are you going to do then?”

“I don’t know!” Momus put his head in his hands. Oizys realized she may have pushed him a little too far.

“Hey, I’m sorry…” Oizys knelt down and put a hand on his shoulder. Momus sniffed and looked up.

“He came and visited me afterwards,” Momus said.

“I know,” Oizys said, frowning at the memory. She had been waiting outside, not allowed to even see her brother after he was dragged into the infirmary. Potitus has glared down, disapprovingly, at Oizys when he went into Momus’s room. She knew immediately he had something to do with what happened after she saw how spooked Momus looked, but Momus didn’t want to admit it.

“He wanted to see if I was alive, is all,” Momus continued, “and told me he was leaving for the Mojave and that’ll he’ll see me soon when I get better and trainings over.”

“Yeah, sure,” Oizys said. She would rather of had their father been the testing dummy, she could do her shooting practice on him instead.

“And you? How’s the house been? How’s mother?” Momus asked. He wanted to deviate the conversation away from Potitus, Oizys was sure, but talking about their mother wasn’t a much better conversation either.

“Same as usual,” Oizys said, “She cleans, she cooks, and she stays out of the way. A gust of wind could come and knock the house down and she wouldn’t want to make a fuss about that.”

Momus gave a little laugh and Oizys smiled. It was good to see him smile again. Just as it appeared, however, it disappeared again.

“You know, if I get well soon, they may send me off to the Mojave,” Momus said, more serious. Oizys nodded and looked away.

“Hopefully that dumb war will be over with soon,” Oizys said, “then you don’t have to go.”

“Then Father will return home.”

“Or die in the war.”

Momus made no reply. Oizys sat back down next to him, leaning back to watch the now setting sun. She’ll have to go soon to avoid getting in trouble for breaking curfew.

“I don’t want to leave Flagstaff,” Momus admitted. Oizys looked over at him.

“Oh? I wouldn’t of guessed,” she said.

“It’s true! I’d rather stay here with you and mother, instead of…” Momus paused and looked away again. Oizys leaned forward, putting her hand back on his shoulder.

“Hey, you still got a while to go before they’re even going to put you back into training. We can worry about it later, and if you do have to leave, we’ll figure out how to deal with Potitus, together.”

Momus nodded, and the two continued to sit, watching as the sun set ever so lower into the sky.

 

———————

“Nice shot, Oizys!”

Oizys blinked and looked up at the bottles her and the other rangers were using for target practice. Shattered glass layered the ground around her empty area, meanwhile, the other rangers continued to fire, still practicing.

“Where did you learn to shoot like that?” One ranger asked, placing her own weapon down on a table behind them. She still had a couple bottles of her own to shoot.

“Had a friend teach me to shoot a rifle, a long time ago,” Oizys replied. Not a complete lie, but not the full truth either.

“Maybe you should get your friend to come and teach me too. I could use it,” The woman said as she started reloading her own weapon. Meanwhile, another ranger threw his gun to the side, all bottles except one remained untouched in his ring.

“Ah, ouch, tough luck!” The woman ranger called, and the man glared at her.

“Shut the fuck up!” The man yelled as he retrieved his weapon and began to reload it. The woman laughed.

Oizys rolled her eyes and grabbed her gun, turning away from the shooting range. She’s only been there for a few days and she was already bored. The sargents there have had a lot of fun drilling her and the other rangers, running, agility, strength, Oizys was on par with most of them, but when it came to the shooting range, Oizys obviously held supreme, taking down more targets quicker and more accurately than even some of the more senior rangers.

Including Mr. Yells A Lot, Harris Drone. Drone was a newer ranger with attitude and was ready to get into a fight with any one of the other rangers for any altercation. Oizys did her best to avoid him, but his temper aggravated her and she was waiting for the day where she could beat some sense into the guy.

A distant whistle ended the training and the rangers went towards the tents where they hung out and had their meals. Oizys guessed it was like a makeshift cafeteria, but none of the higher ups ever really ate with them, not even Page.

Oizys hasn’t seen Major Page since her first meeting with the woman. Unless those maps were more interesting, Oizys didn’t really know what else the woman does, other than use Oizys own past to blackmail her. She wasn’t sure what to think of the woman yet and frankly regrets agreeing to join the NCR in the first place. If all she is expected to do is stay in camp and listen to Drone whine all day, she may as well have just stayed in Flagstaff and listen to the soldiers there complain about blisters.

Oizys grabbed some rations and headed to a table to sit down and eat, alone. She stuck her fork into the instamash and took a mouthful, chewing miserably. The other rangers laughed and joked around her, each talking about their plans for later that night.

The ranger from earlier sat down in front of Oizys, her own food placed in front of her. 

“Hiya!” The woman said in a cheery greeting, “You’re the new girl, Oizys, right?”

“Yes, I am.”

“I’m Emily, Emily Jones! Are you also from the NCR?” She asked. Oizys shook her head.

“Local,” Oizys said, quickly taking another bite of Instamash.

“Got to fight for your home, eh,” Jones said, moving her hand a little closer to Oizys. Oizys didn’t say anything. Jones pulled her hand back and started to eat.

“Heard about what you did down by Nelson,” she continued after a few bites, “I thought it was really brave of you.”

“Really stupid more like it,” said another voice. The two women looked up to see Drone, who was staring down at them, a smug smile on his face.

“You could of got taken off by those dirty Legion soldiers and made into a slave, or worse,” he sneered, “Luckily the NCR took your reckless ass in before you gotten yourself killed.”

“Hey, cut that out! You’re just pissed that’s she’s a better shot than you,” Jones said. Oizys continued eating, ignoring Drone’s taunts. 

“Shut up, I wasn’t talking to you. Cat got your tongue?” He asked Oizys as she stood up, plate now clean and ready to leave.

“Hey! I’m talking to you!” Drone said, and he grabbed Oizys by the shoulder. Oizys felt a large rush of anger and, in a flash, Oizys grabbed his arm and flung him over her shoulder and onto the ground. He laid at her feet, gasping for breath, looking up at her with a dumbfounded expression. Oizys pointed down at him with her fork.

“Don’t you EVER fucking touch me again, you hear me?” Oizys yelled in a shaky breath. She looked around at the rangers around her. They had all stopped what they were doing and were watching the scene in front of them. Oizys suddenly couldn’t bear to be around them anymore. She dropped her plate and fork on Drone and ran, throwing back the tent flaps as she exited the cafeteria. Outside, she began to walk quickly, not looking where she was going. It didn’t take long for her to run right into someone.

“Ah-! Oizys! Jesus Christ, be careful girl!”

Oizys looked up to see Page looking down at her, a look of concern on her face.

“You look like shit. Did something happen?”

“I’m-Fine,” Oizys said. She backed up, putting some space between her and Page.

“If fine looked like you saw your own mother floating over your bed at night. Are you sure you are-“

“I’m fine! Really, ma’am,” Oizys said, quickly trying to compose herself, “just tired from… training, is all. Anyway, what are you doing out here?” Oizys asked, trying to change the subject.

“Well, I was looking for you, actually,” Page said, “You’re being sent out on a mission- don’t start looking so excited now,” she said sternly when Oizys perked up, “It’s not a big one and you certainly won’t be out killing off patrols. Fort Forlorn Hope has been trying to get intel on the current situation at Nelson. Of course, they don’t want to send any of their men in, so they requested some back up. You’re the only person we can spare, however.”

“You want me sneak into Nelson, after what I did like, not even a half a day’s walk away from there?” Oizys said in disbelief.

“Of course not, we’re not stupid. You can spy on the town without going inside you know,” Page frowned, “You’re to watch from the outside, report back to the men at Forlorn Hope, then come back here, is that clear?”

“So more sitting around, I thought you were fighting a war?” Oizys was furious, “I’ve been here for days doing nothing and now you want me to sit and, what, lay around, see what’s happening and tell it to some guy who may not even get anything done!?”

“Damn it Oizys, of fucking course not,” Page said, taking a step forward. Oizys held her ground.

“Nelson has been in the Legions control for months now! They took a group of our men as prisoners, so of course we can’t just storm the town and jeopardize their safety! We can’t just rush into every situation without having a plan! What kind of fools do you take us for?!”

Page closed her eyes and exhaled slowly in an attempt to calm down. Oizys waited.

“I get it, this isn’t exactly what you had in mind, but this is what you signed up for.”

“I signed up to find my brother,” Oizys said, unconvinced.

“And maybe he’s at Nelson!” Page threw her hands in the air then lowered them back down, “Just do the damn mission, alright!?”

“Fine,” Oizys said, and she walked past Page, bumping hard into her.

Page watched Oizys storm off before she shook her head, sighing, then walked away to deal with more troopers she needed to send out that night.

 

——

“You’re the only one they sent?” Major Polati asked in disbelief, “I risked the life of 2 of my men to have back up sent and they only could give me one ranger?”

“I’m only here for a week,” Oizys said tersely. The two were in the majors own tent, him leaning over the map covered tables, and her standing on the other side, watching him with disinterest.

Oizys knew that Page was right, granted it took her until she arrived at the camp before she finally admitted it.

Fort Forlorn Hope is a mess, a big mess. On her way to Major Paloti’s tent, she passed by many wounded and crying soldiers. The shacks and quickly built tents that littered the camp looked ready to collapse in on themselves, while the soldiers that were still able to move looked like they haven't seen a bed since they left New California. 

The situation here was bad alright, if not made worse by the Legion hounding at them from Nelson nearby. Oizys figured most of her walk to the camp was taken up more by sneaking past Legion patrols then the actual walking itself. Caesar must of had more men sent here after the stunt she pulled back at the Techatticup Mines, and they must be pushing at the NCR forces harder than ever.

“Perfect, not like we don’t need more able bodied men or anything. Maybe next time I ask for some help I’ll ask for someone that can fix the damn radio so I can give them a piece of my mind myself!” Major Patoli pinched the bridge of his nose.

“So you’re not planning an assault on Nelson?”

“Of course not, look at this place! Half the soldiers here can barely stand on their own and the other half are too scared! We’re pinned! I don’t need to plan attacks, this fort needs food, medical supplies, and people!”

“I’ll let Major Page know that when I get back to Camp McCarren then,” Oizys said, “Am I dismissed?”

“Yes, go ahead, do what you were told to do,” Patoli looked down at his papers, “It’s not gonna make a damn difference here anyway…”

Oizys nodded and left the tent and walked through the fort, leaving it from the way she came. From there, she walked a bit away before she headed off the road, taking a path between some rocks uphill. After ten minutes of climbing, she finally reached the top and was able to look down into Forlorn Hope. Oizys stood and watched the Camp for a bit before she turned and headed to the direction of Nelson.

You would think they’d be able to send more people out here to watch this place, she thought as the town came to view. Oizys couldn’t see any watchmen wandering up here. Things at Forlorn Hope must be worse than she thought if the NCR thought sending someone to watch the town was a risk.

Nelson was a small settlement made of what appeared to be mainly just cabins. Oizys could spot a few crucifixes in the middle of the town, a couple already occupied by a few troopers. So much for hostages, Oizys thought. She pulled her rifle out and looked down the scope to view the rest of the town. A couple of Legionaries wandered about, some laughing at a joke while a couple took refuge in the bright desert sun. Oizys spotted a blond man in a feathered hat talking to a tall recruit wearing the pelt of some large rodent. That must be the Dead Sea the veteran mentioned weeks ago to her.

Oizys pulled the gun away and crawled back a little before standing up,brushing some dirt off her uniform. This wasn’t the best place for her to bunker down in for a week, baking in the sun. She’ll find a better spot somewhere around the edge of town.

Oizys started to creep around the cliff side and stopped a little farther away, this time in a spot covered with a little more brush. This would do, Oizys thought, so long as the plants don’t catch fire in the sun.

Oizys once again pulled out her rifle and waited, this time observing each individual soldier. One was too tall, another too short. Oizys watched one boy whose back was facing her before he turned around to revealed a freckled face with a scar cutting across the bridge of his nose. Close, but not Momus.

She was not surprised, she didn’t expect him to be there at all. Nelson looked more like straining ground for young recruits, and these boys that ran among the few adult men Oizys saw, looked far too young to be out in the field. 

She continued to spy on the town until the sun began to set. Satisfied, Oizys began to walk away from the camp, looking for a quiet and secluded place to stay the night, rather than risking getting shot at by jumpy guards at Forlorn Hope. This area of the desert, luckily, provided much cover, and Oizys was able to find a place to make a fire far enough off from Nelson, Oizys was sure they wouldn’t notice her. 

Or she thought they wouldn’t.

The flames were just starting to catch onto the larger chunks of wood Oizys had gathered. Happy for the warmth, Oizys laid down, closing her eyes. Sleeping out in the desert isn’t the worst, she thought, as she felt something hard tap her on the side of the head. Oizys eyes shot open to a recruit standing above her, his hunting rifle pointed down at her face.

“Sorry about this,” he said, in a quiet voice that was almost a whisper, “I got nothing against you, orders are orders, but you’ve been killing too many of us-“

Oizys quickly rolled to the side before he finished speaking and got up, lunging for the recruits gun, no time to grab her own. If the recruit was startled, he didn’t show it, and the two started to fight, each trying to get ahold of the weapon. Finally, Oizys quickly jerked the gun to the left, the end of it whacking the recruit in the side of his face, startling him enough to loosen his grip. With a hard tug, the rifle was hers, and in a flash, Oizys rammed the end of it into the recruits stomach. He fell over with a loud “oof” and, before he could do anything else, Oizys pushed him down into the dirt with her foot, her new weapon now trained on the recruit.

Oizys was just about to pull the trigger when she stopped. The firelight has made the recruits face appear much clearer. This was the recruit she had spotted talking to Dead Sea earlier that day, the one with the large rodent pelt. He looked no older than those boys Oizys saw back at Nelson, with long, jet black hair that fell to one side. The boy watched her, emotionless, as she studied him.

“Who are you?” Oizys asked, gun still trained on the kid.

“Ferus,” he replied.

“And why aren’t you back with your friends at Nelson?”

“I’m not from Nelson,” Ferus said, “I’m from the Fort.”

“Ah, OK, and why, Ferus, have you decided to go all the way to the Fort here? Did Potitus set you up for this?” Oizys asked as the thought came to her head. Ferus looked confused.

“Who’s Potitus?” He asked

“Nobody.”

“Oh. Ok. Are you going to kill me?” 

“What kind of question is that?” Oizys asked, stunned. Ferus shrugged.

“You got me, so I guess you get to kill me,” he explained.

Oizys didn’t really know what to say to that, but his answer made her feel uneasy. Who sends a child out into the wasteland as an assassin? She knew that the Legion trains their recruits at a very young age, but to send a brand new recruit out on his own…

Oizys lowered the gun and stepped back, taking her foot off of Ferus’s chest. He sat up and crossed his legs, looking up at Oizys as if a child would to his school teacher. Oizys jerked the gun to the side.

“Get out of here,” she said, giving Ferus a stern look.

“You’re letting me go?”

“You’re a kid, you shouldn’t be out here. Get lost, before I change my mind.”

Ferus sat and continued to look up at Oizys. She was about to pull the gun back out before he slowly stood up. He reached out for the rifle until Oizys pulled it away from him.

“Nelson isn’t that far from here. If you want a new gun, go get one there.”

Ferus lowered his hand. “Alright,” was all he said. Oizys kept watching him until he left, the darkness of the desert covering him quickly. Then, when she was sure he was gone, Oizys put out the fire, quickly grabbing her things, and vanished into the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here’s another Chapter : D I don’t really have much to say with this one other than I’m happy I finally got Oizys and Ferus to meet each other.


	6. Chapter 6

The last few days had dragged by agonizingly slow as Oizys did what she was told to do, watch Nelson and report back to Major Polatli, which would of been more interesting if there was something to report.

Oizys spied on Nelson and every day, nothing changed. Besides the town being overrun by kids, Nelson was not extraordinary at all. Its leader, Dead Sea, spent more time chasing and yelling at his recruits than anything else, Oizys was surprised that he was even able to hold the town for this long. Still, their antics kept her entertained through the days, Oizys fondly remembered one event where the boy with the scar she spotted on her first day gave Dead Sea a box. He opened it was surprised to see it was full of various kinds of bugs. Oizys had to try hard not to laugh at the man’s reaction, but it was difficult.

Even so, Oizys couldn’t help but feel like the whole trip was a failure. She learned nothing about the Legion or Momus and, what’s worse, she had let a Legion soldier escape.

She let Ferus go, and Oizys shuddered, like she has done every time she has thought about it. Although the boredom was unbearable, Oizys has been on the fritz since her encounter with the frumentariis had happened. She had fled that night, almost running down into an old bunker she found, before she decided to run back to Forlorn Hope. She had to sleep outside the tents, without a fire, but being cold for one night was a good price to pay for the safety she felt when sleeping at the camp. She approached Nelson extremely cautiously those next few days, and was surprised, and more uneasy, to discover no ambush waiting for her on the top of the cliffs. Nor has Oizys seen any more sign of Ferus since that first day, meaning, he wasn’t in Nelson anymore. He could of gone back home to the Fort or he could still be out there in the desert watching her. Oizys just wasn’t quite sure.

But that didn’t matter anyway because she was finally leaving. It was a relief too, to be rid of this new paranoia that Ferus’s arrival has given her. Now that she won’t have to worry about any Alexus or Dead Sea led attacks, she won’t have to act as if she were an owl, constantly rotating her head to catch any recruits sneaking up on her.

Don’t need to think any more about that now, she thought cheerfully as she began the march back to Forlorn Hope. One last disappointing report and she’ll be off, back to Camp McCarren.

And disappointing it was as Oizys gave Major Patoli the same news she’s been giving him for the last few days. He wasn’t even listening to her, she thought, as he paid attention more to the camps doctor talking to him than anything Oizys told him before the doctor interrupted her report. Just as well, seemed like he had more important things to say. Oizys took Patoli’s silence as an excuse for her to go, and she left, happy to leave. Oizys wanted to put as much distance from this depressing place and herself as she could.

Night started to fall as Oizys travelled. She figured she would be exhausted by now but leaving the ruined camp seemed to have energized her instead. She figures she could walk for hours with how excited she felt. Too bad in her joy, she never noticed that she was being followed.

——————

“That’s all?” Page asked, disappointed. Oizys nodded and she sighed. Oizys was now back in Major Pages office and just finished telling her the state of Nelson. Page shook her head and gave Oizys a small, sad, smile.

“Well, we can’t always get the news we want. Alright, kid, you did good, you’re free to go,” Page said, and she bent down, opening a drawer on the desk to grab something inside. 

“Where to, exactly?” Oizys asked, and Page waved a hand as the other one dug around inside the desk.

“I don’t care. Take the monorail to the Strip, make some friends, have fun,” she listed off, “you did what you’re supposed to do, consider this a bit of a break. Just make sure you’re somewhere where we can find you.”

A break? Taking a break was the last thing Oizys wanted to do. She’s been sitting on her ass spying on that stupid town for days, she didn’t want to sit around some more. Oizys was itching to tell Page to shove it but the Major was too busy looking for whatever was in her drawer, so Oizys was forced to turn and walk away.

Oizys stomped down the hall, drawing the glances of some people whose rooms she passed. She didn’t care, let them stare. 

Oizys sat down in some old airport chairs and put her head in her hands. Maybe she was being childish, she thought, but a break is the last thing she wants or needs right now. Every day she doesn’t find Momus is another day he thinks she’s dead and another day he is with their father. Oizys shivered at the thought, wondering what things Potitus could be telling Momus about her right now.

She stood up, miserable, and slowly began to walk back to the escalator, thinking maybe she’ll see if any of the other rangers were available, when she stopped at the entrance to the monorail. The two soldiers in power armor she saw when she first arrived were still there, or so she thinks. It’s kind of hard to tell under the military grade armor. Page did tell her she could use the monorail, would they object if she…?

Oizys took a couple steps forward and, with no word from the two guards, moved quickly past the two of them and walked through the door.

The old train was dirty on the inside, but also void of any people. Oizys sat on one of the seats and jumped when it began to move. Shakily, she stood and turned, looking down at the desert far below her. She could see more of the Mojave now than she ever did on that cliff all those weeks ago. 

Oizys watched as the abandoned buildings slowly passed her. She didn’t know much about the small area outside of New Vegas, other than it was Raider infested territory. The rangers back at Camp McCarren often complained about one group called the Fiends who, from what Oizys could recall, were a bunch of chemmed up junkies who enjoyed nothing but violence and bloodlust. Oizys felt like some of the other rangers, Drone especially, liked to over exaggerate tales about them and another gang called the Vipers.

“They’ll rip your throat out, if you let them,” he had said, and gave Oizys a malicious grin, “specially to people who like to travel alone. They prefer dumb targets, the Vipers.”

“You better watch your back then,” Oizys had replied. Drone had given her a glare that could turn anyone to stone before he angrily went back to his meal.

The monorail was leading into the Strip, to another building near the edge of the wall that surrounded New Vegas. The inside of the building was lit up with bright lights and a lot cleaner than the inside of the old train. Oizys got off and made her way down the stairs, pushing open the dusty glass door. There, she got her first look at the Strip.

The city would of looked more stunning if it was night, she figured, but what she could see was beyond anything Oizys has encountered in the Mojave and by far the most mystifying thing she has seen yet. 

The road cutting through the Strip was more well kept than the roads that cut through the rest of the Mojave, leaving very few cracks and holes. Tall buildings and casinos surrounded it on both sides, all of them strung up with currently unlit lights. Colorful signs called to the walking pedestrians, inviting the well dressed people inside. It was all so clean and so unnatural, it took Oizys a moment before she realized she was in the way of the crowds of wandering people and she moved aside, stepping onto the road as she looked around.

As Oizys marveled at New Vegas, a group of robots, each with a screen on their face showing the cartoon image of a police officer, rolled past on a wheeled leg. Oizys watched them curiously. She’s never seen a robot like that before, then again, she has encountered very little robots. There was one at Primm dressed like a prewar cowboy, and Oizys had spotted a broken one when she visited the Mojave express, but none of them looked remotely like these bigger bots.

Oizys didn’t even know where to begin to look, there was so much to see. She continued walking down the road and found herself in front of a large gate. She walked on through to another crowded part of the Strip, stepping off to her right and seeing a large white building in the distance. The colorful sign read ‘The Tops,’ a name Oizys very so much recognized as some of her squad speak fondly of the casino. If she was suppose to be on break, she might as well check some of New Vegas’s best attractions. Oizys walked on through the glass doors and into the casino, where she was almost immediately stopped by one of its guards.

“Sorry darling, no weapons are permitted inside the casino. You’ll have to hand that over,” he said, pointing at her rifle.

“What, why?” Oizys asked, raising a hand protectively over her gun, “Get your own.”

“Hey, darling, I don’t want to steal it from you,” The man said, “But we can’t have just anyone running around in here with whatever they want. Massacres ruin business, you dig?” This man had a really funny way of talking.

Oizys mulled it over. “Yeah, I guess I ‘dig’” she said, and pulled the rifle off, handing it over.

“Good, got anything else?”

Oizys pulled out her knife and handed that over as well. The man nodded.

“Ok, have fun and enjoy your stay. When you want leave one of our boys up here can bring you your stuff back,” he began to walk away.

Oizys watched him go, now feeling vulnerable. She was almost tempted to call him back, tell him she’s changed her mind, that she would rather go somewhere else, but she was suppose to be on break, so she just let him go and began to wander the casino floor.

The casino itself was well kept and colorful. Well dressed dealers and guests alike sat in tables as they gambled, a couple of spectators watched different games across the floor. Across the room, a table erupted in cheers as one lady pulled a whole stack of poker chips closer to her. Oizys watched the celebration a bit, tempted to join in, but decided against it. Instead, she continued up a short set of stairs, pushing a large set of doors open into the casinos theater. 

The theater was lit brightly, the stage currently empty, but the people in the theater were all sitting down as waiters occasionally approached a table, serving meals. Oizys located an empty table and requested some water from a passing by waiter, watching a group of men appear on stage.

Oizys watched the show, slowly forgetting her sadness and frustrations from earlier. This wasn’t at all as bad as she thought, yes it’s not what she wanted, but she found herself enjoying her unwanted break all the same. Oizys was so caught up in the show, she didn’t notice someone slip into a chair next to her. It was long after they sat down before she glanced to the side and saw them, doing a double take when she recognized them.

“Ferus!?” She gasped, quietly. He stopped watching the show to look at her, giving her a very small smile. He looked different than when she first met him, the pelt and Legion uniform gone, now replaced with a white, collared shirt and black pants. He had his hair tied in a loose ponytail behind him.

“Shh,” he said pointing at the men on stage, “they’re almost done.”

“What the hell are you doing here!?” Oizys hissed.

“Following you. I have been since you left the profligate camp. You’re not that hard-“

“I get that I’m not that hard to track, but what the absolute fuck are you thinking? You can’t just wander into New Vegas!”

“Sure I can,” he said, “I come here all the time.”

“What?”

“Yeah. They don’t notice or care so long as you don’t look like a Legionary.”

Oizys was flabbergasted.

“Why are you following me?” Oizys asked.

“I was asked to.”

“You’re not really good at it if you decided to reveal yourself now!”

“Spying on people is boring and crouching so much hurts my back,” Ferus explained, “I much rather travel with the people I’m suppose to be following.”

“You are perhaps the dumbest Legionary I have ever met.”

“How many have you met?”

“It is none of your business!” Oizys huffed and stood up. Ferus watched her with wide eyes.

“You’re leaving?” He asked.

“Yeah, I don’t feel like watching anymore, now that I know exactly what kind of people come in here. I suspect you’re going to follow me out?”

“No, I want to finish watching this,” he said, looking back into the stage, “I’ll see you later, I guess.”

Oizys quickly turned and walked out, rushing to the front and finding a guard.

“I want my gun!” Oizys said. The man looked at her, an eyebrow raised, and left, returning moments later with Oizys weapons.

“Thanks for visiting the Tops,” He said as she turned and ran off. 

Outside, Oizys looked around, looking for other people who could be spying on her. She walked off to the side of the casino and leaned against the wall, hoping she was hidden enough in the shade, and began to take deep slow breaths, hoping to calm herself down. She slowly sank down into a sitting position and crossed her arms over her knees, trying to rationalize her thoughts.

So Ferus has been following her. She shouldn’t be so surprised but it was unnerving how open he was about it. Someone wants her followed and he’s the one who is doing it. Could Potitus have him onto it?

Impossible, Oizys thought. Ferus doesn’t know her name and for all the Legion knows, she died of exposure in the Arizona desert. A Legion girl couldn’t of found her way to the Mojave wasteland by herself, the journey was too treacherous and, unless you crossed by Dam or boat, almost impossible to cross the Colorado River.

Oizys began to calm down a little the more she collected her thoughts, but it still brought up the question, who wanted Oizys followed? Ferus hasn’t tried to kill her again, yet, but it was only a matter of time. The boy could easily put a bullet in her head with how quiet he is, ironic given his height.

That decides it, she’ll just have to be more careful for now on, take care in where she walks, who she talks to. It’s a start, she thought and stood back up, walking out onto the street again. The sun was barely setting but the Strip was already turning all of their lights back on, illuminating the city. Oizys would of loved to have stayed longer, but the city didn’t feel safe anymore. 

Not wanting to stay anymore, Oizys quickly left, keen to get out of the prying eyes of the New Vegas Strip.

———————

Oizys left the monorail and was met with the two guards from before. She waved at one of them and they nodded back at her before continuing to stare off down the building. It must be boring, having to stand there all day, Oizys thought. She was really glad she didn’t have to be like them.

She had just reached the bottom of the escalator when she heard a familiar voice call for her from the top of the broken stairs.

“Yes ma’am?” Oizys asked as she went to face Major Page. Page had started walking down the escalator to her.

“A bit early to be coming home from New Vegas, eh?” Page chuckled, “City not catch your fancy?”

“No,” Oizys said, “New Vegas is wonderful.”

“Thought you might say that,” Page said with a smile, “There’s nothing like it anywhere else, not even in New California,” Page noticed the look on Oizys face, “Having a problem, ranger?”

“No I- actually, yes,” Oizys admitted, “I just found out… Ma’am, while I was in Nelson, I got attacked by a recruit.”

“So?” Page asked, confused.

“Well, I… I ended up letting him go,” Oizys braced herself for Pages fury but was surprised with how calm Page sounded.

“I’m sure you felt that there was a good reason for it,” Page said, her voice not giving anything away with how she feels.

“Well, the recruit was a child,” Oizys explained, “I knocked him down and was about to take the shot but- damn it,” Oizys stopped and looked away, “I was at one of the casinos and he approached me, practically told me everything he was doing, he was just so open about it, and I ran, back here,” Oizys finished, still unsure about what exactly Page is thinking.

Page nodded and stayed quiet. Oizys wanted to break the silence but was terrified at what Page was going to say. Oizys sat and feared for the worse as Page began to speak.

“We all don’t like doing the things we have to do,” she said quietly. She seemed to have her mind somewhere else, but in an instant, seemed to snap back into reality.

“Well, at least he was forthcoming with information,” she said.

“Can he get into Camp McCarren?” Oizys asked. Page laughed.

“Of course not!” She chucked, “no Legionary, except for prisoners, ever stepped a foot here. It’s suicide for any of them.”

“You’re not mad?”

“I don’t send soldiers out there and tell them to murder babies, no,” Page said, losing the humor in her voice, “I’m happy that you have a good heart but, even so, this is a war.”

“So you think I should of killed him?” Oizys asked, her mood dropping more.

“Yes, sadly,” Page said, “I don’t like it any more than you do,” she quickly added, “but it has to be done. We cannot let someone know our plans and stalk our troops, it’ll put us at a disadvantage and endangers all of us, not just you. You’ll have to get rid of him.”

Oizys didn’t like that at all, but gave Page a small nod. Page gave Oizys a sad smile.

“This war makes everyone choose difficult choices, but if what we do ends up saving lives, then they’re the right ones.”

“I understand,” Oizys quietly said.

Page nodded and patted Oizys on the shoulder. 

“Go get some rest, your squad will be happy to see you tomorrow.”

She walked off past Oizys, who continued standing at that spot, contemplating on what exactly she will have to do next.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aye, we got another update! 
> 
> Also, I reference my friend Vexi’s character Caius and Dead Sea’s recruits in this as well : D You should read Vexi’s New Vegas five, her story, Semper Fi, is really good!! https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dhole/pseuds/Dhole

**Author's Note:**

> I never made a summary prior to actually starting to writing this thing, but I'm actually uploading something now! I'm really nervous about this, I have some negative writing experiences, but I figure 2019 is a good start to finally write fan fiction :' D I hope you guys like the first chapter, I have some stuff planned for the next ones, so I can get those out soon too!


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